


A Tired Tail

by Mado_Typo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cataplexy, Chuunin Exams, F/M, Hallucinations, Jinchuuriki-centric, Narcolepsy, Original Character-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sleep Paralysis, Slow Burn, au where everything is the same but three jinchuriki don't exist, i'm sorry if they were your faves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-02-13 01:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mado_Typo/pseuds/Mado_Typo
Summary: "Why don't you just give up on being a ninja, already. It would be impossible to do anything of worth with your...condition."Megumi struggles with her narcolepsy, trying to prove herself to the other ninja around her.
Relationships: Kankurou (Naruto) & Original Female Character(s), Kankurou (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. On the road

**Author's Note:**

> Oopse, I haven't written anything in years. Do people still write OC-centric fics? Oh well, I wrote this story at least 8 years ago and wanted to rewrite it, which is why some characters have been replaced with original characters. I didn't know those characters existed back then lol  
First two chapters are establishing friendships and goals. It picks up after that?

The room was bare, stripped of any personality that once decorated its interior. A single backpack was resting against the door, waiting to be picked up. By the way the backpack slumped into itself, it was easy to tell that there weren’t many contents inside. Megumi stood in the middle of the room, taking in the memories one last time before exhaling deeply, taking the backpack, and walking out. She didn’t bother locking the door. 

She was finally leaving. 

Finally leaving the neglect, the ridicule, the embarrassment. She didn’t need the village and the village made it very clear that they didn’t need her, either. 

Getting out of the village wasn’t hard. No one really wanted her there anymore so she just walked right out the front gate. Though it was the dead of night, there were still guards, she made eye contact with one of them as she walked. They paid her no mind and she kept walking. 

Not even a few miles out of the village and Megumi was already feeling very heavy. She sighed deeply before hiding in a rocky crevasse. It was time for a nap. She wasn’t in a hurry. In fact, she didn’t even know where she was going. She never made a solid game plan as to where she would live after leaving her village. She wanted to try the neighboring Land of Wind but the village of Suna wasn’t exactly friendly with her old village of Iwa. She was content so long as she wasn’t in the company of that old fool of a Kage.

She woke up before dawn and continued her trek, deciding the village of Konoha might be a good choice. She took out her map and planned out her trip, she would go through the Waterfall Village first to get supplies and make the rest of her way to Konoha.

It took a couple of days, many naps, and many confusing twists and turns in an underground tunnel to finally get to the Waterfall Village. She was exhausted and just wanted food and a place to stay.

“State your business,” A guard looked down at the unknown teenager. Megumi took down her hood to appear less threatening, revealing her long mint hair that was tied in a bun.

“I’m a traveller looking for food and shelter. I will be on my way in the morning,” she explained, brushing her bangs with her fingers to keep them neat. 

“Cause no trouble,” one of the guards stated before letting her pass. “We will be keeping a close eye on you.”

“As you should,” Megumi nodded politely before passing them and into the village. The village seemed very traditional. She didn’t want to stay too long so she made her way to the nearest inn. It didn’t take her long to find one. 

“One room please,” Megumi smiled at the innkeeper, handing her a night’s worth of money.

“Room number two, dear,” the old woman smiled back at Megumi as she handed her the room key. Megumi walked to her room, unlocked the door, and went inside. It was a modestly sized room, tatami mats covered the area and a small closet at the side of the room contained the bedroll she will be sleeping on. She placed her belongings in the room before walking back out and locking the door. It was time to eat.

After her meal in a quaint little restaurant, Megumi leaned back with content patting her full belly. Her happiness didn’t last long once she started to feel someone staring at her. She scanned the room to find the source and found a young man with black hair looking in her direction. His hair was spiky in the front but was kept in a low ponytail in the back. He wore white baggy harem pants and a black crop top, exposing his midsection. He had a weaved necklace that looked to be made of leather, it was long enough to be wrapped around his neck loosely multiple times. His Waterfall village headband sat across his forehead.

“Can I help you?” Megumi raised an eyebrow at the man.

He deflected the question with one of his own. “You’re not from here, are you?” His voice was full of intrigue and his eyes were bright with excitement. “I’m Reiji, the local jinchuriki! What’s your name?”

A jinchuriki, the human vessel to a Tailed Beast. A very powerful demon. There were only nine of these beasts and they were scattered across the region in ninja vessels. Megumi knew them well. 

“My name isn’t of use to you. I’d like to be left alone, thank you.” Megumi got up and exited the building. She had mixed feelings about the jinchuriki boy. He almost sounded proud to be the Jinchuriki of his village, quite a departure from Megumi’s point of view.

“Hey wait!” The boy called after her, running toward Megumi in the dark street. “Megumi, wait!” Megumi’s eyes widened at the sound of her name being called by the stranger. She whipped around and pulled a kunai from her cloak. It was different from a regular kunai, it was a brilliant clear blue and almost seemed to glow in the dim light.

“How do you know my name?” She demanded, kunai ready. Reiji held his hands out and laughed nervously.

“Sorry, I keep tabs on jinchuriki information just in case I come across someone like me. We jinchuriki gotta stick together, right?” Reiji explained. “Where’d you get that kunai? It looks awesome.”

“Wait, so, you know I’m like you?” Megumi ignored his question and lowered her kunai, furrowing her brow. “How much do you know about me?”

“I know you’re from Iwa and you have the Six-Tailed Slug sealed inside of you,” Reiji continued. “The village leader has information on every known jinchuriki with physical descriptions. You’re pretty easy to spot, not too many people have bright mint hair like you do.”

“Well,” Megumi sighed and placed her kunai back in her cloak, “Now what?”

Reiji flashed a toothy smile and crossed his arms.

“How about you join our team?”


	2. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding with friends :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what having sleep paralysis looks like from an outside perspective but I tried.

“Excuse me?” Megumi raised an eyebrow.

“Why don’t you join our team?” Reiji repeated. “We just need one more person to form a three-man squad.”

“We?”

“Myself and another jinchuriki. She’s from the cloud village. I met her while I was on a mission out there and she agreed to come back with me to start training together,” Reiji explained. Megumi found it odd how she was suddenly met with not one but possibly two other jinchuriki so suddenly. And this other one seemingly left their village for reasons unknown. She had to know why.

“Do you know why this other jinchuriki left their village?” Megumi questioned.

“Man, you ask a lot of questions. Why don’t you come to my place and meet her? We can all get to know each other better over there,” Reiji turned and started walking in the direction of his home. He motioned for Megumi to follow him, which she did. She was on guard the whole way to his home, half expecting to be ambushed by Reiji’s friends. It never happened.

Reiji entered his home with Megumi following close behind. A woman was sitting at a table enjoying a cup of tea. She had long platinum blonde hair that was tied in a loose braid, her Kumo headband resting on her forehead, and when she glanced over at Megumi her eyes were piercing, one yellow and the other green.

“You’ve brought a stray home,” She commented as she took in Megumi’s features. She couldn’t tell what village Megumi was from since the metal plate of her headband was placed at the back of her head, the black ribbon forming a wispy bow at the top of her head. The rest of her mint hair was placed in a bun at the top of her head.

“This is Megumi, another jinchuriki,” Reiji introduced her. The other woman perked up when she heard this girl was also a jinchuriki. “Megumi, this is Toshiko.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Toshiko,” Megumi bowed respectfully. “Reiji tells me the two of you are jinchuriki like me. It’s nice to meet people who can truly understand.”

“Likewise,” Toshiko gave a small smile.

The trio spent many hours getting to know each other. Toshiko is travelling the lands learning what she can about the world, Reiji wanted to search for other jinchuriki and study the best ways to train and control Tailed Beasts, and Megumi was searching for a new and better life, searching for a purpose. Megumi began to see the unique mannerisms of the other jinchuriki. Contrary to what her thin figure would lead you to believe, Toshiko would constantly be eating or drinking tea, she loved to indulge in snacks and especially loved to try different types of tea. Reiji was very dynamic, he used his hands to explain things and was very confident, going so far as to think he was one of the strongest jinchuriki. 

The trio agreed to travel together to Konoha to sign up for the Chunin exams being hosted there soon. “You wanted to go there anyway, Megumi,” Toshiko stated, “We might as well test our skills while we’re there.” Megumi nodded in agreement. 

“So it’s settled! We leave for Konoha tomorrow as a team. Team Jinchuriki!” Reiji exclaimed.

“We’re not calling it that,” Toshiko pinched the bridge of her nose, “It’s like you want the world to know we’re hosting powerful beasts.” Reiji laughed nervously at the comment and scratched the back of his head. The others didn’t hear Megumi react to Reiji’s team name and they turned to her only to find her head hanging low.

“Hey, Megumi, you alright?” Reiji placed a hand on Megumi’s shoulder and shook her lightly. Megumi didn’t respond and fell backwards onto the floor. “Hey! Megumi, come on, what’s wrong?” Reiji hurried to her side and started shaking her. Megumi’s eyes opened but she didn’t move. Reiji kept trying to frantically get her to move.

“What is this?” He asked desperately. “Genjutsu? Is someone attacking us?” He got up and surveyed the house. Toshiko made her way over to Megumi, who was still on the floor not moving. She wasn’t as concerned as Reiji was but she still studied Megumi’s body to figure out what was wrong.

“I don’t think this is genjutsu, Reiji,” Toshiko crouched down to get a better look at Megumi’s condition. Just then, Megumi started blinking and sat up looking distraught and frazzled. “What happened?” 

Megumi sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t had an episode so suddenly like that in a while. Reiji came running back after seeing Megumi was back to normal. He started babbling and Toshiko was trying to get him to calm down.

“Um...I should probably mention something,” Megumi said quietly. The other two stopped their banter and turned to Megumi. “I, uh, I have narcolepsy. ” The others blinked and stared. At first, they didn’t know what to say.

“Narcolepsy?” Reiji spoke, tilting his head slightly. “As in, falling asleep at random intervals? That kind of narcolepsy? That’s what just happened?”

“What other narcolepsy is there?” Toshiko stated under her breath.

“Yeah,” she paused, “What you just saw was me falling asleep then going through an episode of sleep paralysis. I would understand if you didn’t want to travel with me, or associate with me for that matter.”

“I’m sure we can work around it,” Toshiko thought out loud. “An added challenge will only make us stronger in the long run, right?” Megumi perked up. She was so used to everyone dismissing her for her condition that she didn’t know what to do or say.

“Yeah! We jinchuriki gotta stick together. We’re in this together,” Reiji beamed as he draped his arm over Megumi’s shoulders and brought her closer. “Team freaks!”

“That name is almost worse,” Toshiko pinched the bridge of her nose.

The days spent traveling were long and tiring. Especially for Megumi, who tried to hide her inability to stay awake for long periods of time. 

The first day was almost non-stop. Megumi stayed in the back to make sure her new cohorts couldn’t see her struggle. She nodded off a few times while running, forgetting how she got from point A to point B, but bother Reiji and Toshiko didn’t seem to notice. It wasn’t until halfway through the day that they noticed something was wrong. “Megumi?” Reiji placed a hand on Megumi’s shoulder. “How are you holding up? Do you need to rest?”

“No, I don’t need to be babied. I’m capable. I’m…” Megumi couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. She lost her footing and fell flat on her face.

“Oh boy,” Reiji stopped and picked her up. “Hey, Toshiko, wait up!” Toshiko stopped and walked back to where Reiji was holding Megumi. 

“She fell asleep?” Toshiko sighed. “We should rest for a while until she wakes up.” The trio rested at the base of the trees waiting for Megumi to wake up. 

She woke up ten minutes later to her cohorts sitting close to her, Reiji draping his arm over her shoulders to keep her close. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Reiji smiled down at her. “You talk in your sleep, did you know that?”

“Oh no, I didn’t know that,” Megumi covered her face in embarrassment. Reiji laughed and patted her on the head in a comforting manner.

“Don’t worry, I thought it was cute,” He smiled broadly, showing both rows of teeth. Toshiko laughed softly beside them.

“You kept going on about how you had to wait for the caterpillars,” She giggled. Megumi wanted to die of embarrassment.

“Here we are!” Reiji exclaimed as the trio was nearing the gates of Konoha. Megumi was asleep on Reiji’s back as he carried her. He started jumping up and down to wake her, “Wake up sleepyhead!”

“Nhg,” Megumi lifted her head from Reiji’s shoulder. She took in her surroundings and found it heavily forested. “Konoha?” She wiped some drool off of her chin and got off of Reiji.

“Oh, gross, were you drooling on me?” Reiji reached to his shoulder and felt a wet patch. “Ew!” He wiped his hand on Megumi’s cloak.

“Hey, don’t wipe that one me!” She cried as she pushed him away.

“It’s your own saliva, take it back!” 

“No-o!” Megumi ran away from Reiji.

“Enough fooling around you two, we need to register for the Chunin Exams,” Toshiko stated. She walked up to the guards at the gate and explained that they were there for the Chunin exams, requesting an audience with the Hokage. One of the guards escorted them to the Hokage’s office.  
“Lord Hokage, these three would like to register for the Chunin exams,” The guard explained. The Hokage took his time looking at the three young shinobi in front of him, noticing their headbands were from different villages. 

“Three shinobi from different villages banding together?” The Hokage laughed quietly to himself. “How peculiar.”

“Lord Hokage,” Toshiko began. “We only wish to hone our skills and become Chunin. Please give us the privilege of taking part in the exam.”

“Very well,” The Hokage straighten up, placing his hands behind his back. “Though, I’m not quite sure I understand why three young Jinchuriki have decided to form a team.”

“That’s a dumb statement!” Reiji blurted. “We understand each other!”

“Every Jinchuriki’s life is different, my boy. Do not be so quick to judge an opinion,” The Hokage scolded him. “Now, I wish to speak with the three of you individually. Starting with you, my dear.” He turned to Megumi, who looked up at him with tired eyes. She had slept through most of the previous conversation until Toshiko lightly elbowed her in the ribs. She nodded and watched as the other two were shuffled out of the room.

“Megumi Shioya,” The Hokage began, slowly making his way back to his desk and sitting in his chair. Of course he knows who we are, Megumi thought. He’s the Hokage, after all. He would have all the intel about important shinobi from any village. “You’re quite far from home. I assume the Tsuchikage does not know of your absence?”

“He doesn’t care,” Megumi said simply. She paused for a moment before continuing, “Actually...I was hoping to defect to Konoha. If you would have me.”

“Hm. I’ve heard that you are able to control your Tailed Beast to an extent, something not many are able to accomplish at such a young age,” The Hokage smiled. 

“Yes, Saiken has been good to me. We’ve made a little agreement and he won’t be causing me trouble,” Megumi nodded.

“But, there’s the issue of your neurological problem.”

“I am well aware of my shortcomings, Lord Hokage. I am willing to work as hard as I can to prove my worth to the village,” Megumi explained.

“There’s no need to go out of your way, my dear,” The Hokage smiled kindly. He started rummaging through some shelves, looking for a specific pile of papers. Megumi has fallen asleep while he was looking for them. The Hokage noticed this and dropped a large pile of papers onto his desk, the sound waking her. He took a few papers from the large pile and a pen. “As long as you know this is what you want, I will make sure you’re a Konoha citizen by the end of the Chunin exams.”

Megumi’s eyes lit up, “Thank you, Lord Hokage! I won’t disappoint you!”

“I’m sure you won’t, but please, keep an eye on your condition,” The Hokage nodded as he began writing on the smaller stack of papers. “Please sign your name here.” Megumi walked over to his desk and signed her name. She took a deep breath and sighed with relief, she didn’t think it would be this easy to get out of Iwa. She supposed it was because she was a capable shinobi and the Hokage was looking past her condition for the most part. “Oh, and please ask for the boy, Reiji, to come in next.”

Megumi bowed respectfully before walking out of the room and met up with the other two, who were waiting for her nearby. “So, how’d it go?” Reiji asked. 

“It went well,” Megumi smiled. “He wants to see you next, Reiji.”

Megumi and Reiji sat on the floor as they waited for Toshiko to be done with her meeting with the Hokage. It was taking much longer than when the other two had talked to him. “Man, I can’t wait for the exam,” Reiji started. “I’ve been itching for a good fight.” 

“I’m sure I could give you a run for your money,” Megumi laughed. 

“Says the girl I carried halfway to Konoha!” Reiji spat. “I could totally kick your sleepy ass.” 

“You haven’t even seen me fight before!” Megumi whined. 

“I don’t have to to know I’m the better fighter,” Reiji stuck his tongue out at her. She grabbed his tongue and yanked on it, gaining a yelp from Reiji. “Ahk!!”

“That’s enough, you two,” Toshiko grumbled as she walked over to them. “The Hokage told me we will be staying in a hotel not far from here during the exams. We can go there right away.”

Their lodging was quaint. Toshiko and Megumi were sharing while Reiji was on his own. The girls' room consisted of a small living space, kitchen, bedroom with two beds, and a bathroom. Reiji’s was similar but didn’t have a separate room for sleeping. The trio spent the first couple of days relaxing from their long trip to Konoha, it was well deserved. 

Megumi settled herself in to the room, taking off her cloak and revealing a grey poncho that covered her shoulders down to her elbows and black spandex shorts. Long black fingerless gloves covered her arms stopping halfway up her biceps. The gloves wrapped around her middle fingers but left her palms and fingers exposed. Under the poncho was a small black tube top that covered her chest, leaving her midsection exposed. She turned to Toshiko, who was laying on the couch dramatically.

“Food,” She grumbled. 

“Why don’t we go buy some ingredients and I can cook you up something nice?” Megumi offered. Toshiko immediately perked up at the promise of food and jumped to her feet. Megumi giggled at Toshiko’s actions and the duo left for the market.

Megumi picked up a few ingredients she thought would make a delicious meal. Toshiko, on the other hand, was picking out snack items and different teas. She already had an apple in her mouth. “Toshiko, I haven’t paid for that yet,” Megumi whined. She trotted over to the teller, “I’d like to purchase these items...and the apple in my friend’s mouth.”

“This is delicious,” Toshiko smiled as she ate the food Megumi had prepared. “I had no idea you would be such a fantastic cook.”

“Most of my time outside of training was spent trying to cook meals,” Megumi explained. “I’ve lived alone most of my life so learning to cook was a necessity.” 

“What of your parents?” Toshiko questioned, sipping some of the new tea she had bought.

“Dead,” Megumi replied bluntly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I never really knew them. My mother was killed while on a mission and my father died a few years later of illness. At least he taught me the basics of my Kekkei Genkai before he passed,” Megumi shrugged. Toshiko straightened up at the mention of a Kekkei Genkai, a bloodline trait that is passed down in a family. It cannot be replicated or used by anyone who doesn’t possess the bloodline. Toshiko opened her mouth to ask what kind of Kekkei Genkai Megumi possessed but Megumi lifted her hand to silence her, “No asking about what I have. That’s a surprise for the exams.” 

Toshiko closed her mouth and huffed, “Fine, I won’t ask. But I would love to go up against you if I have the chance.”

Megumi’s head bobbed a few times as she tried to stay awake, “Same here,” Megumi smiled warmly then yawned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Jinchuriki with a troubled past AND a kekkei genkai? I'm very original, I know.


	3. Knees Weak, Arms are Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mom's Spaghetti.
> 
> Someone other than an OC makes an appearance lol

A few days before the exams were to begin, Megumi decided to grab a few snacks. Toshiko would have gone with her but she had decided to do some training and didn’t have the time. She made her way to a small convenience store and bought snacks and drinks for herself and her friends. While walking back to the hotel she took a shortcut between the hotel building and the one beside it. A shadow jumped out of a trash can and Megumi yelped in surprise. It was only a cat. It went on its merry way.

Megumi clutched her chest and breathed for a moment before continuing down the alley. Suddenly her muscles began to weaken, her legs wobbling. “Oh no, not here,” her eyes widened. She tried to catch herself before she fell but it was no use. Her muscles had stopped working. She fell onto the ground with a hard thud. “Nooo...This is the worst. Heeellpppp! Help!” Her small weak cries weren’t very loud and she soon gave up. 

Her weak cries were not in vain, however, as she felt someone grab the collar of her poncho and lifted her up off of the ground. Her muscles weren’t working so her head was hanging and she couldn’t get a good look at the individual who helped her. “Thank you, kind Samaritan,” she said with a slight lisp. 

“Do you need a medic?” The man chuckled at Megumi’s misfortune. Megumi was able to turn her head very slightly and saw that this man was close to her age, wore an all-black bodysuit, and purple face paint. He was from Suna, judging by the symbol on his hood.

“No, I’m just going through an episode of cataplexy,” Megumi explained. “Um, could you do me a favour and bring me inside of the hotel here?” The man sighed loudly before throwing Megumi over his shoulder and grabbing the bag she had been carrying.

She told him what room she was in and he carried her up to the room, placing her on the couch once they entered. “So, what is this cata-whatever you said you’re going through?” The man asked as he sat down on the coffee table across from Megumi. His tone was almost mocking, smug and very amused by the state she was in. 

“Do you know what narcolepsy is?” Megumi asked.

“Hmm. You fall asleep randomly, right?” 

“It’s a bit more complicated than that but yes,” Megumi tried moving her fingers. She was successful which means her strength should come back soon. “There are a lot of side effects of having narcolepsy. One of them being cataplexy, where you lose control of your muscles after experiencing a strong emotion. Fear, laughter, sadness.”

“Sounds terrible,” The man stated bluntly but Megumi could see the smirk on his face.

“My name is Megumi, what’s yours?” Megumi smiled at him.

“Kankuro,” he replied as he got up from the coffee table. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” Megumi stumbled to her feet, legs still weak, and rummaged through her pack to find her wallet. She took out a generous amount of money and gave it to Kankuro. “For your efforts.”

“I can’t accept that,” Kankuro shook his head.

“Oh, but you can,” Megumi shoved the money into his chest, mostly doing so as an excuse to lean on him for support due to her weak muscles. “I want to thank you for getting me out of the alley. Who knows how long I would have been there if you hadn’t helped me. Get yourself something nice.”

“Fine,” Kankuro stuffed the money into his pocket. “Don’t expect anything else from me.”

“Of course,” Megumi smiled warmly. “Thanks again, Kankuro.” She waved as he left and started to get very sleepy. She wobbled toward the couch but ended up collapsing and falling asleep on the floor. 

“Hey, anyone home?” Reiji called out as he entered the hotel room. The fact that the door was open worried him. He looked around the room and found Megumi on the floor. “Gumi!” He ran to her and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. The motion made Megumi’s hair fall out of the bun she had kept it in, revealing the length of her hair that went down to her thighs. “Hey, Gumi, are you okay? Wake up!”

“Nhg,” Megumi’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Reiji. “Oh, hey Reiji.”

“You scared me!” Reiji hugged her close, weaving his fingers through her hair and pressing her head to his chest. 

“I’m fine, Reiji, no need to baby me,” Megumi pushed away from him. Reiji kept his fingers weaved in her hair, lightly twirling some of it. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“Yeah, I’m starving!” Reiji smiled. Megumi got up, her hair leaving Reiji’s fingers, and went to fetch a pan to cook with. “No, no, let’s go out. My treat!”

“Well, if you’re sure,” The duo left the hotel and began their journey to a small ramen shack. “So, I met a Suna ninja today.”

“Really?” Reiji folded his hands behind his head as he walked. “I guess more and more shinobi from across the continent will be coming here for the exams. What were they like? Bet they were a pushover compared to us, huh?”

“He seemed rather gruff on the outside but still helped me get to my hotel room, so I think he’s a good man,” Megumi explained. She tied her hair up into a ponytail to keep it from falling in her face.

“He what?” Reiji’s arms fell back to his sides and he turned to face Megumi. “He helped you to your room?” 

“Didn’t I explain to you and Toshiko that I can lose control of my muscles after experiencing intense emotions?” Megumi placed a hand on her face quizzically. 

“You did but you should have got me to help you and not some stranger,” Reiji huffed. Megumi laughed at the idea. “What’s so funny?”

“I find it hard to believe that you would have been able to help me in that situation. I was calling for help for a while out there and the only one who heard my calls was the Suna ninja. You were nowhere to be found, Reiji,” Megumi crossed her arms and leaned in accusingly. Reiji stuck his nose up and huffed again.

“Whatever, we’re here,” Reiji walked into the ramen shack only to be greeted by a loud orange blob.

“Hey!” The boy yelled. “You’re from the waterfall village?”

“Uh, yeah,” Reiji sat down far away from the orange-clad boy. “I’m Reiji, resident monster.”

“Monster?” The boy questioned, tilting his head.

“Reiji, don’t tease the boy,” Megumi sighed as she sat between them. “My name is Megumi, we’re here for the Chunin exams.”

“I’m Naruto Uzumaki, and I’m going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!” Naruto exclaimed. Megumi smiled at the boy sweetly as he continued to talk about the things he’s done so far as a ninja to get to where he is. Megumi listened intently while Reiji huffed with annoyance and ate some ramen. Megumi could sense incredible power from the boy and wondered if he was a jinchuriki or just a powerful ninja, like he said he was. “So, have you done anything exciting lately, Megumi?”

“Me?” Megumi pointed to herself. She had forgotten she was having a conversation, getting lost in her own thoughts and Naruto’s stories. She probably fell asleep for a few seconds during Naruto’s stories but she couldn’t remember. So much for ‘listening intently’. She took a moment to find her words, trying not to spoiling her secret of having a Tailed Beast. “I haven’t been up to much lately. Just many years of rigorous training to get here.”

“I hope I can see you do some cool stuff during the exam!” Naruto smiled widely. Reiji was audibly disgusted with the conversation and being left in the corner. 

Naruto said goodbye to the duo and left. Megumi spun around to face Reiji and glared at him. “You could at least pretend to enjoy conversations with other people. What happened to fun cheerful Reiji?” Megumi scolded him. 

“He was an annoying orange blob, I’m glad he’s gone,” Reiji stuffed the rest of his ramen noodles into his mouth. “Besides, now you and I can finally talk.”

“About what?”

“Anything. But mostly our plans for the exams,” Reiji replied. “And the fact that Naruto is a Jinchuriki.”

“Huh,” Megumi put her hand to her chin in thought. She figured something was up with that kid. Once she started thinking of her plans for the exams she sighed. She was looking forward to the exams but was worried about her condition getting in the way, “My plan is to make sure I don’t make this any more difficult for you or Toshiko.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” Reiji smiled. “And hey, we’ll always be friends, right? Even after the exams?”

“Yeah...friends,” Megumi smiled at the thought of keeping Reiji and Toshiko as friends. “That would be really nice.”

“Here,” Reiji took off the leather weaved necklace he was wearing. He bit at the string until it was cut in half and gave one half to Megumi. “Now we’ll always be together.”

The necklace was long enough for Megumi to wrap the string around her neck a couple times before tying a knot. It sat snugly but comfortably against the skin of her neck. She traced her fingers across the leather and smiled. “Thank you, Reiji.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I've taken a few creative liberties with cataplexy. Irl it's supposed to only last for a few minutes and you are unable to speak during that time. It also comes in varying degrees, ranging from feeling a little bit weak to completely losing control of the muscles.


	4. The Exam starts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jinchuriki Squad finally start the exams. Everyone is tense and Megumi falls asleep a few times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I don't know how to convey in writing is how Megumi has micro sleeps. She falls asleep for a second at a time multiple times a day. She often doesn't know she's having them because they come and go so fast.  
Another is head bobbing. Similar to micro sleeps but your head bobs to indicate you're falling asleep and is sometimes more predictable.  
Those two things happen to Megumi a lot. More than you think, so assume it's happening a lot, lol

“Are you two ready?” Toshiko crossed her arms as they entered the room where the first part of the exam was taking place. 

“Hell yeah, we’re ready! Right Gumi?” Reiji placed his arm around Megumi’s shoulders, bringing her closer so their heads were touching.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Megumi shrugged in response but her attention was elsewhere. There were so many ninja in the room, she had a hard time focusing on just a couple of them. Her eyes darted around the room feverishly as she looked through the sea of unfamiliar faces. Reiji noticed her lack of attention and squeezed her shoulders tighter in an attempt to bring her back to reality.  


The trio were seated separately in the room with a written test in front of them. Megumi noticed she had been seated next to Kankuro. She greeted him with a bright smile and a little wave, “Did you buy anything nice with the money I gave you, Kankuro?” She asked in a hushed tone. Kankuro sneered and looked away. The test started and Megumi immediately realised the test was not at genin level. She sighed at the idea of having to cheat but that was the whole idea behind the first exam. You must gather information without being caught. Just as Megumi was about to start gathering information she suddenly felt very heavy and sleepy. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep herself awake and her head fell onto the table with a small thud.

“Megumi, you dumbass!” Toshiko punched Megumi in the head.

“Ow!” Megumi woke up to pain and rubbed her head. The oils from her skin made the test stick to her forehead. “What was that for?”

“You fell asleep during the test without writing a single answer,” Toshiko took the paper off of Megumi’s forehead and showed it to her. There were no answers, only her name, a small circle of drool, and a large oil stain from her forehead. Megumi made a mental note to wash her face more. “You could have cost us the whole Exam!” Toshiko yelled.

“I’m sorry,” Megumi pouted, shielding herself with her arms, not wanting to get punched again.

“Whatever, let’s just get out of here and get some food. Everyone is heading out now,” Toshiko sighed as the trio made their way out. 

“Don’t worry about her, Gumi,” Reiji draped his arm around Megumi’s shoulders, “She’s just grumpy because she hadn’t had any snacks during the exam.”

The next day the trio was greeted with a large forest surrounded by a fence to keep the dangers inside. Megumi’s eyes widened at the sight. “Oh, hell no,” She said turning around. “I am not going in there, you two have fun in the murder forest. Bye.”

“Oh, no you don’t,” Toshiko grabbed Megumi’s poncho to keep her from leaving, “After that little nap you had during the first part of the exam I’m expecting big things from you in here.”

“Oh, come on. You knew about my condition before we got here. What happened to the “added challenge” you were talking about, huh?” Megumi cried, not wanting to go into the forest. Toshiko ignored her whining and walked to the entrance with Megumi dragging behind her. Reiji snickered as he followed the girls. Each team was given a scroll, either Heaven or Earth. The objective of the second part of the exam is to survive in the Forest of Death, get a second scroll opposite to the one you have from another team, and make it to the building in the middle of the forest before the end of five days. Having to take a scroll opposite of your own from another team effectively cuts the competition at least in half, assuming other teams don’t get killed by whatever is living in the forest.

“Alright, get the other scroll and get to the building, easy peasy,” Reiji said as he stretched, getting ready to run into the forest. Megumi wasn’t as jazzed about this as Reiji was. She wasn’t into the idea of being stuck in a forest full of man eating beasts and poisonous flora. Let alone for upwards of five days. 

The gate swung open and the trio ran into the forest. Toshiko explained the plan as they continued to run. Megumi would be the one to get the scroll they need while her and Reiji provide backup. Megumi groaned at being the one in charge in the ‘murder forest’ but Toshiko was insistent. She knew Megumi was capable and though Megumi didn’t necessarily agree to being in charge in these circumstances she was grateful to Toshiko for giving her the opportunity. “I’m sure I could do this for Gumi,” Reiji started after the trio had stopped to rest on the branches of a very large tree. “She doesn’t want to do it and I’ll happily step in for her.”

“No, Reiji,” Megumi protested. “I can do this. I’m a big girl.”

“I mean, hey, whatever you say,” Reiji folded his arms behind his head with a shrug. 

“So, what should we do?” Toshiko asked with a smile, excited to see Megumi in action.

“I’ll just go a little ways by myself for a bit and scout the area,” Megumi jumped down to a lower branch. 

“No way, I’m not letting you go alone,” Reiji jumped down to Megumi and grabbed her wrist, keeping her from going any further. “It’s too dangerous. You could fall asleep and get attacked or something.”

“I won’t go far. If I need you guys I’ll send a signal,” Megumi explained as she pried her wrist away from Reiji’s grip. She placed her hand on her necklace and smiled at Reiji, “I’ll be fine. We’re always together.”

Reiji bit his lip. He wanted to say more but clutched his necklace instead, “If we don’t hear from you in ten minutes we’re coming to get you.” 

Megumi nodded in response before jumping to another branch, heading off a little ways.

After a small survey of the area and deeming it safe she sat on one of the large branches not too far from where her teammates were. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the forest. It smelled heavily of musky wood and greens, something she rarely smelled back home in Iwa. She was used to everything being made up of rock. It was a nice change of pace to see so many trees but it also intimidated her. So much nature that she didn’t quite understand but was so fascinated by at the same time. She placed her hand on a small patch of moss that was growing on the branch she was sitting on. It was soft and squishy. How odd but surprisingly pleasant, she thought. Without thinking, she ripped the moss from the branch and placed it in the pouch on her hip. She wanted to keep it with her. 

There was a faint noise, a shuffling sound not too far from her. Megumi pulled a kunai seemingly out of nowhere and glanced in the direction of the sound. She saw nothing but the dark greenery of the forest. Then another shuffling sound. Curiosity got the better of her and she jumped down from her perch and onto the soft dirt below. 

Her walking was slow and light, as to not alert anyone of her presence. She turned past a large tree, peeling off more squishy tree moss in the process, and saw a familiar figure sitting down and leaning against the tree. The individual was facing away from her and judging by the cat-like ears of the hood they were wearing she had a pretty good idea of who it was. 

“Hello stranger,” She smiled and started walking toward the figure. Not a moment later she felt someone come up behind her and put a kunai to her throat. 

“Don’t move,” He warned with a smug tone. Megumi could hear the smirk he was wearing. It was Kankuro. She took another look at the figure by the tree and saw it was a decoy. She sighed and put her hands up lazily as a sign of surrender, dropping her kunai in the process. She kept the moss in her hand and lightly squished it. It made the situation a little better.

“Well, don’t I look like a fool,” Megumi’s words were dry and sarcastic. She felt him reach into the small pouch on her hip and take out the scroll she had. Kankuro grunted with discontent and grumbled about how it was the same scroll he had. She could also hear him grumbling about the moss in her pouch. Megumi sighed again at the news, disappointed she wouldn’t be able to have a good fight, “What a bummer for both of us, then. I was planning on turning this situation around.”

Kankuro didn’t say anything in return. He threw Megumi’s scroll over his shoulder and started walking away leaving Megumi alone, or so he thought. A few minutes into walking he felt someone’s eyes on him. He looked around but couldn't see anyone. Another few minutes and the feeling came back. He whipped around and found Megumi right behind him.

“You know, that was really rude of you to throw my scroll away instead of giving it back,” She huffed, waving her scroll in his face. “I expect an apology. And where’s the rest of your squad? I was looking forward to meeting more people.”

“Geez, don’t you ever shut up?” Kankuro furrowed his brow. He tried to continue on his way but Megumi jumped in front of him, her small poncho puffing out with the motion before lazily draping over her chest again.

“Why didn’t you try fighting me back there? I had a whole thing set up in my head. Come on, I’ll take you on,” Megumi got into a fighting stance, bouncing side to side on the balls of her feet.

“Because fighting someone with the same scroll is pointless and you’re a waste of my time,” Kankuro replied coldly. Megumi feigned being hurt by his words and put a hand on her heart, mumbling something about him being an ‘absolute buzzkill’. She stopped mumbling abruptly and threw a kunai at a tree with surprising urgence. Kankuro was confused by this, especially since the kunai she threw wasn’t normal. It was clear blue and faintly glowing. Megumi smacked herself lightly in the face a few times, mumbling more nonsense. Kankuro rolled his eyes, done with whatever was happening, “Would you quit bugging me and beat it already?” Kankuro shoulder checked Megumi as he passed her and kept walking to his destination. 

Megumi huffed as she made her way back to her teammates. She kept seeing figures out of the corner of her eye, throwing kunai in their direction but every time she did so the kunai would just hit a tree and not an actual target. Megumi slapped herself in the face a few times and groaned. “I need to get back to the others before these hallucinations get me in trouble,” She mumbled to herself. She clutched her head lightly as she started hearing a tapping sound. “This is not an ideal place for this to start happening.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone actually reading this. I appreciate it.
> 
> If anyone has any advice on writing narcolepsy I'd love to hear it. Doing hours of research can only do so much, real life stories would be great to learn from :)


	5. Guard Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to see Megumi fight!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Comes back 7 months later with Starbucks*
> 
> Oops, I left the fandom for a while to go chase a different one.   
Here's chapter 5, enjoy

Reiji was pacing back and forth as Toshiko sat down to conserve her strength, eyes closed and listening to her surroundings. “She’s been gone for too long,” Reiji stated, biting his nails. “We need to go find her.”

“You heard her, she can take care of herself,” Toshiko shrugged. She opened her eyes to see Reiji walking away. “Hey, get back here. Don’t make me use force to keep you here.”

“But I’m worried. I never should have let her go by herself! She falls asleep at random intervals, I have to keep her safe,” Reiji was hopping around and pouting. He was feeling restless. 

Megumi made her way back to her teammates empty-handed but free of the tricks her mind had been playing on her. Reiji perked up when he saw her in the distance. “Sorry guys,” She sighed. Two ninja came out from the shadows and attacked Megumi, one of them wrapping their arm around her neck tightly. “Ahk!”

“Gumi!” Reiji sprouted bug-like wings and flew toward the ninja attacking Gumi. By the time Reiji made it to them Megumi had freed herself and subdued one of them. 

“Reiji, I’m fine. They just--” Megumi was cut off by Reiji grabbing the two ninja and throwing them into a nearby tree. “Whoa hey, Reiji, wait!” Megumi tried to stop him but he flew over to them before she could do anything. Reiji’s Tailed Beast chakra swirled around him. Chakra is normally invisible but Reiji’s could be seen and it was powerful. 

“Never. Touch. Gumi.” He growled.

“W-we’re sorry.” One of the ninja stammered. 

“Too late.” Reiji started to flap his wings hard enough that they were barely visible. The sound they were making was a loud hum. 

“Reiji, no!!” Megumi started to run toward him but she wasn’t fast enough. Reiji summoned a gust of wind that sliced open the two ninja, blood flying everywhere. Megumi’s eyes widened at the sight, a small bit of blood splashing her in the face. She wiped it off and smacked herself in the face a few times. It was terrifying to watch Reiji kill those ninjas and she was hoping it was all just another hallucination or a vivid dream. 

He turned to Megumi, covered in blood, and smiled. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Megumi nodded. Reiji’s smile grew at the mention of her being alright but changed again in an instant when he saw the third squad member of the group that tried to hurt them. He jumped over to the kid and pulled out a kunai. The kid was frozen with fear. “No!” Megumi grabbed onto Reiji’s ponytail and pulled him back before he could do anything to the kid. 

“Hey, what gives?” Reiji turned back to the kid but he was already gone. He grunted in frustration.

Toshiko was already looting the bodies and found the scroll they needed to progress. “You’re lucky this group had the scroll we needed or I would have beat the shit out of you for killing them,” Toshiko narrowed her eyes at Reiji. “The next time you’re this reckless there’s going to be serious consequences.” 

“Whatever, I saved Gumi, didn’t I?” Reiji retorted. “Why are you making me out to be the bad guy? I’m just protecting my team. There aren’t any rules here and they got in my way, I’m  _ allowed _ to kill them. Gumi is thankful, right Gumi?”

Reiji turned to Megumi, who didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want him to kill those kids. They were so young. “I...I mean…” Megumi fiddled with her fingers. Never before had she wanted her narcolepsy to take over as much as she did right then just so she didn’t have to answer Reiji’s question. She decided to fake it instead and fell to the floor.

“Oh no, Gumi!” Reiji picked her up. “Don’t worry. I’ll carry you...I’ll protect you.”

Megumi didn’t want to hurt Reiji’s feelings. He was one of only two friends she had. She wanted to keep her friends happy, not push them away. She thought maybe she could talk to him at a later date about what had happened. Maybe he could be reasonable.

  
  


The trio made their way to the building in the middle of the forest, they were one of the first few teams to arrive. Megumi “woke up” halfway to the building and had made it the rest of the way on her own without Reiji’s help. “Ah, I can finally relax for a bit,” Megumi smiled to herself as she stretched out.

“What do you mean ‘finally’? You were just sleeping,” Toshiko teased her. “Or at least Reiji thought so.” She winked with a smile.

“Don’t tell Reiji,” Megumi whispered, “But it was pretty convincing, right?” The girls giggled as they walked.

“I dunno about ‘convincing’ since you fell to the floor rather dramatically,” Toshiko teased with a light elbow to Megumi’s side. “But you fooled Reiji so who am I to judge.”

“A ninja must know the art of deception, my friend.” Megumi wiggled her fingers close to her face and Toshiko laughed at her silly antics. 

“I’m surprised you made it here without a scratch,” Megumi heard Kankuro’s voice behind her and stopped as Toshiko kept walking. She turned to see him smirking. “What with your condition and all.”

“Who are you?” Reiji appeared, stepping between Megumi and Kankuro. Megumi was silently hoping he didn’t hear her conversation with Toshiko. He was still covered in blood from the fight he had earlier. Megumi tried looking for Toshiko to help break up a potential fight but found she had left the room.

“He’s just an acquaintance,” Megumi replied for Kankuro. She placed a hand on Reiji’s shoulder and forcibly pulled him a couple feet back, taking his place in the middle. She now stood between the boys with her arms lazily outstretched to keep them from getting closer to one another.

“Well, I think this acquaintance should stay away if he knows what’s good for him,” Reiji glared at Kankuro. “Because I’m wearing the blood of the last group of people who tried to hurt Gumi.”

“So,” Kankuro leaned closer to Megumi with a smirk, the fabric of his clothes just barely grazing the tips of her fingers, “You got yourself a guard dog, huh?”

“Hey, buddy, what did I just say?” Reiji tried getting closer to Kankuro but Megumi pushed him back, feeling the squishy sensation of his blood soaked shirt.

“Whatever,” Kankuro stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to leave.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Megumi narrowed her eyes at Reiji.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe,” Reiji replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. Megumi shrugged his hand off of her.

“I can take care of myself, Reiji. Don’t you dare pull another stunt like you did in the Forest of Death. I was supposed to be in charge of that section but you didn’t listen to me. I told you to stop but you killed those kids anyway.” Megumi scolded him.

“I was just protecting you. Why are you being so ungrateful?” Reiji crossed his arms. Megumi pursed her lips and huffed through her nose before storming off to find Toshiko.

Was she being ungrateful? Was she blowing this out of proportion? She clutched her necklace as she felt her chest tighten. She was left with more questions about her own thoughts than she was about Reiji’s actions.

The genin were told that since so many of them had passed the second part of the exam that there will be preliminary rounds before the third and last part, one on one matches. Megumi met up with Naruto, who greeted her enthusiastically. “Megumi, I’m so glad you made it!” 

“Thanks Naruto,” She smiled. Her and Naruto watched as everyone was paired with an opponent and fought. She had fallen asleep through most of the matches, using Naruto’s shoulder as a pillow. Though, it turns out a human jumping bean isn’t the best pillow since Naruto doesn’t know what standing still means. Megumi ended up settling for leaning against the bars that kept her from falling down to the arena. It wasn’t until Neji and Hinata’s fight that Megumi spoke, mostly to herself as Naruto was a few feet away from her and not paying attention.

“Man, Neji is tough. I’d hate to go up against someone like that,” She sighed hugging her arms closely. 

“Hey you,” Kankuro called to Naruto as he walked to their side of the arena. “How come you’re all by yourself? Why aren’t you hangin’ with your buddies?”

“Huh?” Naruto turned to Kankuro and sneered, “Megumi’s with me! What’s it to you?”

“I see,” Kankuro didn’t even make an effort to look over at Megumi. “So, tell me something about this guy Neji. I get the feeling we didn’t get to see the full extent of his powers in the last fight, did we? So, what’s his story?” Kankuro kept a cool demeanour as he talked to Naruto. Megumi was keeping an eye on the conversation. Since she wasn’t too far away, eavesdropping was barely a challenge. She was curious to know why Kankuro came over to their side of the arena just to talk to Naruto. 

“I’m gonna pulverize him! That’s his story! Believe it!” Naruto exclaimed, punching the air with his fist.

“Okaaay, but that’s not quite what I meant,” Kankuro paused for a moment before continuing. “You know, you seem like a nice guy. I like you.” At this point, Megumi could tell Kankuro was trying to get information out of Naruto.

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t like you!” Naruto sneered again. Megumi couldn’t help but laugh, both Kankuro and Naruto could hear her and turned to face her. 

“What’s so funny, Ragdoll?” Kankuro scoffed, walking closer to her. Megumi puffed her cheeks out in annoyance at the unwelcome pet name. 

“Hey! Don’t talk to Megumi like that. Unlike you, I actually like her!” Naruto huffed in the background. Kankuro ignored him and kept his eyes glued on Megumi.

“Well? Answer me.”

“Make me,” Megumi smiled playfully as she leaned back against the railing. After how rude he was to her in the forest, she wanted to give him a hard time. Kankuro sneered. 

“So, you wanna play this game?” He asked as he leaned closer to Megumi, supporting himself with one hand on the railing. His face was inches from hers but Megumi didn’t even blink, keeping her little smile. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate his way to victory. Their banter was cut short when Kankuro's name came up on the monitor.

Kankuro vs. Misumi 

“Heh, finally my turn. Watch and learn, Ragdoll,” Kankuro smirked.

“Like I’d learn anything from you,” Megumi shrugged playfully. 

Kankuro jumped down to the arena. When the battle began, Kankuro took the bandaged mass off of his back. Before Kankuro could do anything, Misumi used a jutsu that made his body like rubber, or so Megumi thought. He wrapped his arms and legs around Kankuro, preventing him from moving. “If you surrender then I’ll spare your life,” Misumi said. Kankuro merely grunted in response, saying it was him that was going to die instead. Misumi had an arm around Kankuro’s neck and he was practically choking him. There was a loud cracking sound and Megumi audibly gasped in shock. Misumi had snapped Kankuro’s neck. “Tch, what a fool.” Misumi said with disappointment.

But it seemed the match wasn’t over. It looked as if sand was falling from Kankuro’s face. His head spun around, looking completely different. “Now it’s my turn, so say goodbye,” He said, his voice raspy and dark. That wasn’t Kankuro. It was a puppet with three eyes and the kanji for ‘crow’ written on its chin. The real Kankuro came out of the bandaged mass.

“Puppet master,” Megumi mumbled to herself. Kankuro controlled the puppet and made it crush Misumi, smirking as he screamed in pain. The battle was over very quickly, Megumi was impressed but she would never say that to Kankuro.

“Two against one is hitting below the belt, isn’t it? I mean, is that thing even fair?” Naruto asked Megumi, who was crouching down to get a better look at the battle. 

“It’s not really two against one. It’s a puppet, not another ninja,” She explained. She went on to tell Naruto that it was the Puppet Master Jutsu, that he was controlling it with chakra and how the puppet was a tool like a shuriken or kunai. Megumi was taught about the jutsu in Iwa because of the feuds Iwa and Suna would have. She needed to know about it to be able to combat it but she never actually got to see anyone using it up close. Megumi was close to nodding off until she heard Kankuro’s voice.

“So, what’d you think? Impressed?” Kankuro walked back up the stairs with his hands in his pockets. Megumi smacked herself in the face a few times to keep herself awake as she got up from her crouching position.

“I don’t know, that Body Replacement Jutsu is pretty amateur hour, don’t you think?” Megumi teased, her arms crossed. She was referring to how he managed to switch places with his puppet during the fight.

“I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you, Ragdoll,” Kankuro pointed to the monitor, showing the next match. Megumi held her breath as she turned to read the names: Megumi vs. Reiji

“Are you kidding me?” Megumi cried out louder than intended. She turned to Reiji, who was already jumping down to the arena. She wasn’t looking forward to fighting him, not after what she witnessed in the forest. She turned back to Kankuro and smiled, “This is how a real shinobi fights.” She told him before jumping down to the arena. 

“You ready Gumi? Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you,” Reiji smiled. 

“Oh, that’s a bad idea,” Megumi got into a fighting stance, “Because if you go easy on me you might get hurt.” Reiji just smiled and clutched his necklace. Megumi did the same and smiled back. 

“Friends forever, right?” He asked.

“Right.”

“Begin!” The proctor yelled.

“Why don’t you go first, Gumi?” Reiji smiled, crossing his arms. He was in no hurry to fight and it made Megumi furious. 

“Are you seriously going to underestimate me like this before we even start?” Megumi placed a hand on her hip as she brought up one of her blue kunai. She twirled the kunai as she spoke, “What did I just say about going easy on me?” She threw the kunai at Reiji, who stepped out of the way and watched as it was embedded into the wall behind him.

“Hey, it’s the cool kunai you had a while ago,” Reiji pulled the kunai from the wall to look at it. “Seriously, where did you get this? Is it limited edition?” As he turned back to Megumi he was greeted with more kunai being thrown at him. Jumping out of the way, he noticed the kunai were all the same. “How many of these things do you have?”

After doing a few hand signs Megumi stomped her foot on the ground. Sharp objects erupted from the ground around Reiji, trapping him in a small space. The sharp objects were made of the same material as the kunai. “Does that answer your question?”

“You can make crystal?” Reiji tried jumping out of the circle of crystal but got too close and cut his arm on one. “Ow! Well, that’s pretty neat.”

“Don’t patronize me,” A crystal katana appeared in Megumi’s hand. She ran at him and swung her sword but Reiji jumped into the air. She looked up to find Reiji using his wings to keep himself airborne. Murmurs could be heard from the other ninja watching as Reiji hovered in the air. This didn’t concern Megumi too much. She saw the wings briefly in the forest so this didn’t come as much of a surprise to her as it did the others. She pieced together that it was because of his Tailed Beast, the Seven Tailed Horned Beetle, that he was able to sprout wings. The tails actually consisted of six wings and one actual tail.

“Well, if you’re not going to come down, I’ll just have to come to you.” A pillar made of crystal came up from the ground and propelled Megumi into the air. She landed on Reiji’s shoulders, much to his dismay.

“Hey, no fair! I’m the only one who gets to fly!” He tried shaking Megumi off of him but she held on tight. Her head got too close to his wings and they started hitting her in the head rapidly, undoing the bun she had placed her hair in. As her hair unraveled from the bun, it started to get tangled in Reiji’s wings.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Megumi cried as her hair was being pulled. She grabbed onto two out of six wings to keep them from continually pulling on her hair. “Quit it!” Her grip tightened as she encased the wings in crystal. The weight sending them back to the ground. 

“Gumi, what did you do?” Reiji yelled as the duo fell. Megumi tried to jump away but forgot her hair was still tangled in the wings that were now encased in crystal and landed on top of Reiji as they hit the ground. 

“Shit, I didn’t think that through,” She grumbled, rubbing her head.

“I mean,” Reiji placed his hands on Megumi’s hips. “This isn’t so bad…” 

“Hey!” Megumi blushed at his touch and she jerked away, rolling over and getting her hair even more tangled. “Oooo, I’ve had enough of this!” She freed his wings of the crystal and yanked her hair back, which was much easier with his wings not moving. 

“Come on, Gumi,” Reiji jumped back into the air, “Are we going to get serious, or what?”

“Fine,” Megumi got up from the ground and brushed off the dirt from her poncho. As she turned to Reiji, she could see him in the middle of doing hand signs for a jutsu. A large gust of wind similar to the one he used on the kids in the Forest of Death was sent toward her. Dust was kicked up and the spectators were unable to see the jutsu hit Megumi. 

As the cloud of dust let up, Kankuro leaned against the railing with intrigue. Naruto, who was standing beside him, was not as intrigued as he was terrified. “Oh no! Megumi!” Naruto cried out. 

A large mirror was revealed from the dust cloud where Megumi had been standing. Inside of the mirror was Megumi, safe and sound. “What?” Reiji crossed his arms in confusion as Megumi hopped out of the mirror and smiled, “Wait. How’d you do that?”

“That’s my little secret,” Megumi made a spear out of crystal and hurled it at Reiji. While he thought she missed him, the spear struck one of his wings and he was sent flying backwards and into a wall. He looked over at his wing, now pinned against the wall. While he was distracted, one of the wings on the other side was struck with another spear. Reiji cried out in pain.

Megumi walked over to Reiji, grabbing one of the spears keeping Reiji pinned to the wall. Instead of pulling it out, the crystal seemed to spread. Going from Reiji’s wing and spreading to the rest of his body. “G-Gumi, what are you doing?” Reiji stammered as the crystal spread over most of his body. Megumi was silent. Only his head remained free and Megumi still said nothing, the crystal spreading agonizingly slow up his neck. “Hey, come on. Stop doing this! Gumi, stop!”

“Only if you give up,” She said quietly. 

“Okay, fine, I give up!” Reiji cried. The crystal immediately started to retract, freeing Reiji from it’s hold. He was relatively unharmed except for the two large holes in two of his wings. 

“The winner is Megumi Shioya!” The proctor confirmed. 

“Man, I didn’t expect you to be so…” Reiji tried to find his words. 

“Capable?” Megumi suggested. She offered Reiji her hand in a friendly handshake. “Sorry I scared you but now you know I’m not a pushover.”

“Hmph,” Reiji rejected Megumi’s handshake, instead slapping her hand away. “You just got lucky.” He walked past Megumi without another word and jumped up to the opposite end of the arena. Megumi sighed.

  
  


She walked over to Toshiko, who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She was a little dumbfounded that Megumi was able to beat Reiji so easily and that her narcolepsy hadn’t gotten in the way. At the same time, she could tell Reiji was being very cocky and that was most likely the reason the match was over so quickly. They had never seen Megumi in combat before the match. “The two of you did very well, I’m proud of you both,” Toshiko smiled as they made their way back up the stairs. 

“Wow, Megumi! That was amazing!” Naruto exclaimed as he ran to Megumi. Toshiko kept walking, leaving her with Naruto. “Those mirrors were so cool. And all the weapons you made out of crystal! How’d you learn to do that? Do you think you can teach me?” 

“I’d love to teach you, Naruto, but it’s a Kekkei Genkai. A bloodline trait,” Megumi explained as she brushed her long hair with a comb she made. It was very tangled. 

“That explains it,” Kankuro laughed to himself. Megumi turned to face him with a scowl and narrowed eyes. “If you didn’t have that kekkei genkai you’d probably be toast.”

“Oh yeah?” Megumi walked up to him and poked him in the chest accusingly. “How about I battle you next time? Then let’s see...who’s...tougher…” Megumi started dozing off and fell into Kankuro.

“Whoa, hey!” Kankuro caught her. Hearing a slight snore from Megumi made him laugh under his breath. He gently placed her against the wall, “Sweet dreams, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that girl that has the crystal kekkei genkai? I thought that was super cool so I wanted something similar but also like Haku and his ice mirrors. I just wanted to have fun with it :)


End file.
